


Harleen Versus The Truth

by MelissaLenore



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Harley Quinn (Comics), Poison Ivy (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 22:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7951879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelissaLenore/pseuds/MelissaLenore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harleen tries to convince Pamela that she's completely okay about leaving Mr. J, under the guise of trying to convince her that the moon landing was faked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Harleen Versus The Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this story for my short story writing class, but changed the names to Margot and Diane for the class, changed them back for this venue. This would take place after The Joker pushes Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy tries to help Harley recover from the abusive relationship. Enjoy :)

7 A.M. came quietly for Pamela as she sat in the kitchen of her shared apartment, overlooking the city. As usual, she looked over the daily newspaper lazily while drinking a green smoothie. This time of day was refreshing for her, with the new morning sun and the early quiet. Her roommate, Harleen, was a complete night owl and would be entirely passed out in her cave of a room. The two were total opposites. Where Pamela loved sunlight and morning, water and silence, Harleen preferred nighttime, darkness, and frequent loud parties from which she often returned home less than sober. Pamela preferred the company of her plants and Harleen, while Harleen had previously spent all of her time mooning of her utterly and violently insane ex-boyfriend. Pamela was more of a worrier and Harleen was primarily who she worried about.

Harleen was looking at a different 7 A.M. She hadn’t slept. She sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the harsh red of her alarm clock on her bedside table. She had blankets pinned up over her window, keeping the sunlight out. She was surrounded by old photos that she couldn’t bear to look at. Her back still hurt from when he- she pushed the thought away. She ignored the bruises like she ignored the memory of his smile and the sound of his anger. She gripped the books in her hand tightly, hoping they would be a good enough distraction. She didn’t want to lie, but she very much did not want to talk about the truth. If seeming to be hooked on something else crazy would do the trick, then that’s what she would do. _I just can’t tell her that I can’t stop loving him, it doesn’t matter what he did._ _She’d be furious with me._ She took a deep breath. _This has to work._

With a loud bang, Harleen interrupted the morning peace by throwing the door to her bedroom open.

“PAM!” Harleen shouted, startling the no-longer relaxed Pamela.

“What could you, of all people, possibly need to be awake for at 7 A.M.?” Pamela said slowly as she watched Harleen slam a stack of notebooks and textbooks on the table.

“Quickly, tell me, what do you think of the moon landing?” Harleen asked fervently, her blonde ponytail matted and frizzy, looking particularly helter-skelter next to Pamela's soft, smooth ginger waves. One of Harleen’s eyes had eyeliner smeared downward and her lips had the residue of dark red lipstick. Pamela couldn’t help but notice that Harleen’s eyes were puffy, like she’d been crying.

“Moon landing? Like, the moon landing?” Pamela’s face was scrunched up in a mixture of confusion and judgment, wondering what she had done to deserve this drastic morning change.

“Yes, the moon landing, only you think it’s the moon landing when really it wasn’t a moon landing at all! It was faked-”

“Are you seriously trying to tell me that the moon landing was faked?” Pamela sighed, interrupting Harleen as she sat down and threw open a notebook and grabbed a heavily-annotated astronomy textbook.

“No if you just look, it’s so obvious! The obvious reflections of studio lights in the astronaut’s helmets, the fact that you can’t see stars anywhere in these photos, and how does a flag wave in outer space where, according to these text books I stole from your room-”

“Hey!”

“There is no wind in space so that flag cannot be fluttering in the breeze! It makes so much sense just look at the evidence, it’s all here!” Harleen said breathlessly, waiting for a response. The look on Pamela’s face told her she had paused too long.

“Harley, are you okay?” Pamela asked, barely looking at the vigorous notes Harleen had made. In fact, she completely ignored them.

“I am fine, I’m better than fine! I just need you to look at the facts, P!” Harleen took a seat on the counter as Pamela conceded, sighing. She chewed on the cuticle of her right thumb while she watched her roommate look at what was in front of her. Harleen was nervous, hoping this crazy conspiracy theory would distract her roommate, and herself. Harleen couldn’t care less about whether or not Pamela believed in the moon landing, but she was hoping she could convince her to stop worrying. The breakup had been difficult. _Well, it wasn’t really a breakup,_  Harleen thought to herself, eyeing the still-reading Pamela. S _he’s the one who said we should take a break. Maybe I’ll call him when she goes out._  

“Why are you so focused on this?” Pamela interrupted Harleen’s thoughts with a suspicious question. Pamela’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Harleen dance around the truth.

“Because, Pamela Isley, I want to open your eyes, and, and this is something you should know! I spent all night trying to bring you the truth because I love you and because we take care of each other!” Harleen insisted shiftily.

“And you’re not trying to cover up the fact that you’re still upset?” Pamela said softly, gently putting down the notebook she had been reading and closing it in one of the textbooks. _More like spent all night crying,_  Pamela thought.

“Pam, if I wasn’t fine, would I have spent all night researching something I’m passionate about to convince you of the lies you’ve believed your whole life?”

“If you were fine would you be biting your hands?” Pamela countered. _No one who knows you would ever think this was normal behavior for you._

“Hey, I’m the Psych major, not you!” Harleen laughed nervously, sliding off the counter to sit next to her doubtful best friend. “Honestly, I’m fine. I barely think about it, and uncovering the truths about the lies the American government has told us to combat other nations of scientists trying to win the space race helps me to stay not thinking about it. It’s okay Pammy. I’m okay.”

Pamela didn’t respond immediately. She was too busy considering whether or not to pretend she was convinced. The look in Harleen's eyes made the choice for her.

“Really Pam, I’m okay. I promise.” _Please just let it go,_  Harleen thought, staring back firmly. Pamela sighed and looked away.

“I believe you.” Harleen smiled at Pamela’s response, returning to her typical bubbly self. Proud of her apparent success, she stole a sip of Pamela’s smoothie and grabbed the comics section of the newspaper and headed back to her room. Pamela watched her try to skip away, the ex-boyfriend inflicted back injury obviously impairing Harleen's gait. Pamela looked back down at the newspaper, searching for news that the ex had been brought to justice.

As Harleen was busy reciting his phone number over and over in her head, she heard the click of Pamela setting her glass down on the marble counter. “But don’t even think about calling him.”


End file.
